Poodle
by rhead-a-holyc
Summary: She could remember seeing a fluffy white dog once, a poodle the muggles called it, in the arms of a woman who was very richly dressed. That particular dog had stood out in her mind because of the look of absolute sorrow in its eyes.


**Camp Potter II, Campfire Songs - Week II**

**The A-Maze-Ing Race [Poodle]**

**Poodle**

She could remember seeing a fluffy white dog once, a _poodle_ the muggles called it, in the arms of a woman who was very richly dressed. Tonks could tell that the woman was a muggle from the way she treated everything she passed as if she had clearly expected it to be there. There was none of the usual awe of someone that knew that everything the muggles had created had been without the use of magic. Tonks was often surprised at that herself, and she had been raised in _both_ worlds.

That particular dog had stood out in her mind because of the look of absolute sorrow in its eyes. The dog, despite being well groomed and obviously having a lot of money spent on it, simply wasn't happy. It made no sound, and always looked curiously at everything the woman passed by as it was simply held like an object in the woman's arms.

In a way, Tonks supposed the poodle was nothing but an object in the woman's eyes. Nothing more than a _fashion accessory_ that breathed.

Tonks pitied that dog, and had never forgotten it despite never seeing it again. From that little poodle, she had learned that money wasn't everything, and it definitely didn't always bring happiness.

That woman made her happy that she was born into a halfblood family like she had, and that her mother had decided to marry for love and not for money or status like her sisters had. Tonks knew she would be nothing more than a child to show off then, with her metamorphmagus abilities. She probably would have had a lot of money spent on her, and have known the ability to buy whatever she wanted.

But, would she have been able to run around in the fields as she had with her father when she had been younger, or would she have been forced to train her abilities? Would she have been able to make friends with muggles as she had, or would she have been stuck to pureblood gatherings where poison could lace every word? Would she have had the ability to fall in love with whoever she wanted, or would she have been betrothed at birth as she had heard some of her yearmates had?

Tonks doubted she would have had as much freedom and happiness as she had experienced in her childhood.

Besides, people would be calling her _Nymphadora_ and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Just the thought made her shudder unpleasantly.

Tonks had seen her cousin, Draco, prancing around Hogwarts like he owned the school. _Merlin_, she would never want to be walking around the castle with an ego that big. Someone was surely going to shove the boy down the stairs one day, and his large ego won't help him any, nor would those bodyguards of his. Those two boys didn't look on the smart side of _anything_.

She often felt truly grateful for that unfortunate poodle she had seen all those years ago, ears pointed down and eyes dulled by restrictions.

She had learnt about _life_ from a poodle that she had been unable to save from a truly terrible fate that she was thankful she had managed to avoid. She only wished there had been something she had been able to do for the poodle, help him in some way just like he had helped her.

It truly wasn't fair for him to suffer like he was. Tonks didn't know where the poodle was now, but she hoped that he was happy somewhere. That he had somehow managed to escape the woman, and had found some other life that kept him happy.

Sometimes she wished to go looking for the poor animal, just to make sure he was safe. Tonks knew that was illogical though, what would differentiate that dog from perhaps thousands of others? What if it was dead? She would never find it then.

That thought still didn't stop her from wanting to do something. Anything that made it feel like she was helping in some way. Sometimes she wondered what that woman would have done if she had tried to take that poodle away from her.

Tonks knew her parents would not be all that pleased with her if she had done that, but she wondered about the woman. Would she be pleased to have one less thing to take care of, or would she be insulted that a child thought she wasn't able to take care of a dog? Would she be angry, or would she be relieved?

What if she had misjudged the entire situation and the woman was actually a mother that was taking the dog home to her child, who loved and played with the dog? Would that be so bad?

Tonks sighed, not wanting to continue on that train of thought. She knew it would take her nowhere. She had followed it one too many times before.

Still, she had always felt the need to somehow thank the dog.

Could you thank a dog? Hmm…


End file.
